The predicate is the object and the relation to that object that defines the subject. The subject is the thing that is defined in any proposition. Language is a unique property in this instance, fingernails are accidents.ĭialectic, like logic, is concerned with propositions that include a subject and a predicate, and the relationship between the two. It is the use of language that differentiates humans from other apes. A proposition can be used as a premise in an argument, and through argument we can infer a new proposition, which is the conclusion.ĭialectic and logic both arrive at definitions by identifying the unique properties that belong to the subject - the properties that really make it what it is as opposed to superfluous detail, which Aristotle calls the accidents.įor example, in a definition humans we would want to include language, but not necessarily fingernails. The basic structure of a proposition includes a subject (the thing being defined) and an object (the thing it is defined in relation to) is. In both dialectic and logic, any one thing can only be defined by its relation to other things. This is because ‘same’ and ‘different’ are the foundations of definition (of cognition and categorisation), which is how we come to recognise and define the things around us. with which the dialectician is characteristically concerned.” (38). Dr Evans states: here are certain things - same, other etc. The beginning of any process of definition (of demonstration, and of argument) is actually very simple: we start with “this is the same is that,” and “this is different to that”: the human is the same as the bonobo in this way the human is different to the bonono in this way. Dialectic aims to validate or invalidate definitions presented in argument. The aim of both logic and dialectic is to validate the definition of things (indeed, everything from abstract concepts to physical objects). Here we discuss deduction, which is the essence of logic. “One kind is induction, another is deduction. “e need to distinguish how many kinds of dialectical argument there are,” he writes in Topics. Dialectic is not a method for bad actors or the resolution of primarily emotional disputes.Īristotle asserts that dialectic does use logic to advance knowledge through the validation of arguments and through deductive reasoning through inference. The concern is validating arguments on both sides. These individuals do need an understanding of the logical method of reasoning - set out more fully here - and need to be seriously and genuinely engaged in the process. So what is the method of dialectic? Dialectic involves a dialogue between two people. Read 'The nature of Aristotle's dialectic' here.ĭr Evans explains that while dialectic is concerned with the individual and her perspective, logic is not: “Pure logic is not concerned with the vagaries of the individual's reaction, and indeed in its search for objectivity it is positively prohibited from considering the individual as such.” (75) He adds later: “Aristotle is aware that the conditions of the exercise of dialectical skill are such that, although the dialectician is indeed required to argue his case purely by logical means, he must at the same time not ignore the various ways in which circumstances which are external to his argument can affect its character.” (92) It differs from logic in that it is not concerned with the pursuit of absolute truth, or first principles, but in convincing a person of an argument. It differs from rhetoric in that only logic should be deployed to persuade, and that it is aimed at a particular individual rather than a group, or a crowd. To an extent, this is the same as the familiar “thesis, antithesis, synthesis” to which Aristotle’s dialectic is often reduced, but that formulation actually originated with Johann Fichte (1762 - 1814).ĭialectic is the same as rhetoric in that it is an intellectual activity aimed at changing minds, and is the same as logic in that it relies on reasoning to validate (or invalidate) arguments. Dialectic is a process of discovery and pedagogy that takes place between two individuals using logical argument, according to Aristotle.
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